Opinions Are Divided About Goose Roundup

All but a few geese are gone from Lake Muhlenberg. And Charles Hoffman Jr. of Allentown couldn't be more pleased.

"It's great. You can fish in peace, and it's a lot cleaner without them," said Hoffman as he cast his line across the Cedar Park lake in Allentown.

On Monday, more than 900 Canada geese were trapped, put into crates, then trucked to South Carolina with the hope that they'll make the southern state their new home. The geese were rounded up because they were considered a health hazard.

People who stopped by Lake Muhlenberg yesterday to feed the ducks or fish had mixed opinions about the great goose roundup.

Hoffman was happy. Since he has been on strike at General Machine in Emmaus, Hoffman says, he has been spending a lot of time at the lake fishing for carp or suckers.

"I come down here at least every other day," he said. "It's my pastime."

Hoffman says the geese were a nuisance. "They were always walking over your line. You had something laying on the ground, they were over here right away, trying to find out what it was. They have no consideration whatsoever."

Dennis Reiman of Emmaus, Hoffman's fishing buddy and fellow employee, agreed. "Usually when you throw out, you hit one of them in the head. They're a pain . . . in other words."

Hoffman had his doubts about whether the geese would stay in South Carolina. If the city really wanted to get rid of them, Hoffman said, he had the solution.

"A lot of guys are laid off, not working. Let them come down with their guns and blow them out of the water," Hoffman said.

Timothy Muthard of Allentown was feeding the ducks with his 4-year-old son Christopher. Muthard said he didn't realize the geese had been rounded up.

"I didn't know why they weren't here," he said. "That's a shame."

Muthard said he was never bothered by the large flock of geese that took up residence at the lake. But he doesn't think he or his son will miss them. They've been coming to feed the ducks almost every day since moving back to Allentown a month ago.

"If there would be a bundle of them or just a few of them, it would be just the same for him," Muthard said, looking at his son.

Joan Motruk of Allentown, who was with her husband, George, said she always liked the geese. "I thought it was nice. You came here and fed them," she said. During the summer months, she and her husband stop at the lake twice a week with leftover popcorn and bread. Yesterday, the ducks were treated to sticky buns.

Rene DeLong of Emmaus came to feed the ducks with her 3-year-old grandson, Nicholas Wagner.

"It looks empty," she said, as she looked across the lake. DeLong said she doesn't think the geese should have been removed.